Oil Extraction and Oil Well Fires in South Texas Photos, 1952-54

Texas Oil Extraction Industry

Archive

Oil Extraction and Oil Well Fires in South Texas. Three silver gelatin black-and-white photographic prints, including one gelatin silver press photo (8 x 10 in.) and two photo prints from negatives (5 x 7 in.). Dated 1952 and 1954. Content includes an image of a wildcat rig in Lavaca County, Texas, and dramatic scenes of oil well fires. All photos with extensive manuscript notations on verso, including references to press filing. This small but gripping photo archive documents the volatility and danger of oil drilling operations in mid-century South Texas, including one catastrophic blowout and fire. The 8 x 10 inch silver gelatin press photograph, dated June 1954 and stamped "RETURN TO CHRONICLE FILES," shows a towering oil derrick rising above dense trees. The reverse identifies the location as Lavaca County and describes a wildcat operation in Hallettsville, Texas, where drilling reached 8000 feet. A hand-written note reads, "Field Drilling Co., Ext. Exterior - cementing protective casing, 10,240 down to 8000 ft – Lavaca County, 2 1/2 mi. N. Hallettsville."

The two smaller prints—captioned in manuscript as "Oil Well Fires"—capture the momentous force of an uncontrolled eruption. One image shows a roiling column of black smoke and flame rising from a well site, surrounded by distant silhouettes of onlookers. Another, more closely framed, emphasizes the explosive power as the plume expands over nearby treetops. A note on the verso dates one of these prints to October 1952, stating it is a "Print from Studio of late Cecil Thomson." Cecil Thomson (1881–1953) was a prolific Houston-based commercial photographer and photojournalist who operated Thomson Studio, a major supplier of images to regional newspapers including the Houston Post and Houston Chronicle. His studio, active from 1909 until his death in 1963, continued producing prints posthumously from its extensive negative archive, making it likely these fire images were developed and distributed under the studio's imprint even if not taken by Thomson personally.

All three photos are from the Houston Chronicle archives, with two stamped or inscribed "Return to Chronicle Morgue." One image includes the notation "Sunday Oil – Lavaca County Wildcat." These images preserve both the ambition and peril of mid-century oil operations in Texas, a period when wildcat drilling fueled economic speculation and technological innovation, often with great human and environmental risk. Surface creases and light wear to edges; verso of each image shows editorial markings and annotations in grease pencil and ink. Overall very good condition. A vivid visual record of the oil industry's volatility in 1950s Texas, with provenance from the Houston Chronicle press files.

Item #21746

Price: $225.00